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Haunted Mansion
Prelude The Callista family has recently come into possession of some remote property in northern Adysia. It used to belong to a noble long ago, but that family died out and the property has been exchanging hands for some time since then. Now, so much time has passed whose property it was originally has been forgotten. In the files of the property, it is mentioned there is a mansion. Thinking to lend the building out to the military, the head of the Callista family hires some people to investigate the building and report on its usability after all these years. The Approach A dense pine forest, interspersed with lower deciduous trees, surrounds the area at the base of a mountain. This far north, the trees are stunted and bent by winds at the edge, though inside the trees are closely packed and low to the ground, the ground home to many kinds of underbrush. The sky is dark and heavy with clouds, the light dim and ambient with the sun all but disappeared beneath the horizon. In the distance, there is a brief flash of lightning, the storm obviously heading towards the Manor. The mansion itself is large, its forboding, abandoned visage cracked and worn with time and abandon. Vines, unkempt, rampage over chipped stone, and the brick walkway leading to its front double doors are overgrown with dry weeds. It is tucked into the forest, with a short clear area around it that was once, most likely, much larger, slowly being reclaimed by the forest. As one approaches the front of the mansion, the low rumble of distant thunder can be heard, and a brisk wind scatters dried leaves across the stone around you. Fat, heavy drops of rain start to darken the pavement, the storm clearly imminent. The Interior The Foyer: The floor is old marble, dusty and untouched over the years. Dark and gloomy hallways extend to the left and the right. Two spiral staircases wind upwards in front of the entrance against the far wall. Between the staircases are a set of full-length windows, the draperies faded and moldy with time. Through the windows one can see a garden, though through the gloom not much more than a dusty, dried-up fountain is visible. Between the windows is a painting. *Foyer, Painting: The painting depicts a family of four. There are two older people, obviously the parents of the family, and a younger couple. The pearls around the young woman's neck and the pocketwatch the man is holding indicates they are recently married. *Foyer, Painting: Looking closer, you can see the name "der Viechten" on a family crest in the background. The colors are red and deep brown. Entertainment Room: Decorated in dingy orange and yellow, it was obviously once a much cheerier place. There are many chairs, lined up as though for a concert, with small tables at hand. A mini grand piano takes up the northwest corner, and a pile of old, no longer usable instruments sits across from it in the southwest corner. There are inane paintings on the walls. Secretary's Office: The west wall is covered with shelves, and on the south end there is a desk. There are a lot of papers scattered about, mainly to do with accounting. There is an abacus on the floor. *Secretary's Office, Desk: Bills, invoices, ledgers, and lists of items recently ordered litter its surface. Looking closely, the items appear to be for a wedding, and a dowry is mentioned, to be sent to a family named "Berschten." The date on the latest invoices are for Augusti 20th, 1371. Storage: It appears to be a filing room for taxes. There are giant, hide-bound tomes, separated year by year, reaching back for more than a couple hundred years. North Anteroom : It is decorated in shades of pale green. The furniture is delicate and expensive-looking, but old and not in good wear. There are several chairs, a table, and a curio cabinet with decorative dishes inside. There is a painting of flowers on the north wall; the north wall appears slightly darker. *North Anteroom, stain: It is brown, and spreads across the entire wall, though it is stronger on the northeastern corner than the northwestern, and is somewhat streaked vertically. It gains height from the west to the east, and at the eastern edge it is tall enough to touch upon the ceiling as well. South Anteroom: Decorated with pale blues, it is much like North Anteroom. There is a small harpsichord in this room, as well, and what appears to be a knitting basket in a corner. If attempted to play, the harpsichord is out of tune and rusty, and half the keys do not make noise. Parlor: The cabinet is filled with various sets for cleaning and repairing the biliards table, a few sets of molded cards, spare ashtrays, tumblers for alcohol, and a few bottles of gin, though little is left in any of them. Dining Room: There is a long, narrow table in the middle of the room, covered in a white cloth, now spotted with bits of mold. There are several places already set, the plates expensive-looking, the flatware obviously silver, tarnished with age. In the center are a couple candlesticks and a candelabra. There are several curio cabinets against the walls, some displaying other, decorative dishes, others used more for storage. There is a door to the north and the south, and the eastern wall is covered in windows. *more to come!*